


A Happy Ending, but not for you

by Zekroudon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien gets a loving father, Altered Reality, Angst with a Happy Ending, Be Careful What You Wish For, Good Parent Emilie Agreste, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Nino protects his friend, POV Gabriel, do not read if you like Gabriel, not for him, nothing graphic but it happened
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24183055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zekroudon/pseuds/Zekroudon
Summary: Gabriel finally gets his hands on the Ladybug and Black Cat miraculouses. He makes his wish, nothing could go wrong.aka Gabriel gets what he deserves and Adrien a happy loving family and friends.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Emilie Agreste, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Emilie Agreste/Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth
Comments: 9
Kudos: 79





	A Happy Ending, but not for you

The heroes of Paris laid on the ground in front of him, most of them unconscious, the rest detransformed. He knew that by attacking so soon after the Miracle Queen incident Ladybug wouldn't have had time to find new teenagers to recruit nor learn anything from her newly appointed guardianship. How foolish of her to think that they stood a chance against him. With Miss Rossi's help, Gabriel was able to akumatize a huge amount of people at the same time like on Heroes' day, but now with Sentimonsters added into the mix thanks to the now repaired Peacock Miraculous. The heroes stood no chance. She and Chat Noir had reused most of the same children as before. It had been easy to take them all out by targeting their family as he had with Miss Bourgeois previously. The only mystery that had been remaining was Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities. Though thanks to Nathalie's research, they had noticed they were mostly all from the same class, Adrien's class, or friends of those teenagers. By narrowing down who they knew and shared connexions, they had been able to narrow it down to some suspects. He was surprised to notice some of them who never had been akumatized yet. Gabriel obviously knew about his son, he would not have akumatized him, though he could have been useful to his cause considering how much his "friends" loved and trusted him. Miss Dupain-Cheng was also a suspect. She never had been akumatized and she had strong bonds with most of the heroes. Queen Bee was a mystery since both girls despised each other, but if his suspicions about Chat Noir were right, it would explain Chloe being given a Miraculous.

  
Mayura had knocked out Ladybug knowing that her pitiful partner would attempt to save her. The best way to take down a hive is to take its queen. They easily crushed the rest of those insects that dared call themselves heroes. The snake was a priority, so was the dragon. Viperion could give the heroes has many second chances he wanted and Ryuko could be tricky by using her various elements. The fox was a distraction and nothing more and the turtle a temporary nuisance. Considering that they were in a relationship and how often Ladybug required their help, Rena Rouge and Carapace were easily gotten rid of. The horse and monkey prove not of much use once their powers wasted. King Monkey had slipped into Pegasus' portal and he was hit by the idiot's power. The only unknown was if Ladybug had given the Rabbit miraculous to someone yet. He had to act quickly before victory was taken from him once again.

  
With the Black Cat ring and the Ladybug earrings in his hand, the great heroes of Paris defenseless mere teenagers, nothing would stand in his way. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and his son Adrien Agreste revealed and beaten, laying on the ground. Had it not come to this; he could have made them cooperate. The girl's love for Adrien is obvious as the Earth is round and Nathalie had informed him that Adrien probably shared her feelings. Alas, the Miraculous are finally his and nothing will stop him. 

  
From the corner of his eye, he saw the blond-haired boy crying while holding the young girl's body. How dare he show such weakness when he does that for him? He had been such a nuisance, stopping him from his goal again and again, often at the cost of his own life. He would fix that with his wish. His son would be grateful. He would not remember anything from those peasants that prove to be such a bad influence on his heir. He would have his mother, their Emilie again. 

  
"I have been doing this for you, Adrien. From the beginning, my only goal was to make us a happy family once again.  
\- What? You're lying!  
\- Why would I lie to my son? If I knew sooner about your escapades, I could have made you help me get your mother back. Together, the Ladybug miraculous would have been ours sooner.  
\- No, the price would be too high… You hurt people, you terrorized Paris, I would never, ever have helped you! I'm a hero and I help those in need. I'll never give up. Marinette would never give up on me, so I won't give up on any of my friends. I moved on from Mother, you should have done the same, Father."

  
How dare he say such a thing? He is truly lost then. Adrien stands up in front of his father. He picks up Ryuko's sword as if it would allow him to defeat his opponent. How stupid. Gabriel never taught such things to his son. He always meant to keep him from those weak-minded people. In a way, Felix was what Adrien should have been. Stand strong, obedient, a figure of authority and respect from the people below them. That is their birthright.

  
Hawkmoth pockets the miraculouses and slashes at the boy's face with his cane. At this point, even if he were to be blinded or killed, it would be fixed by his wish. Adrien clutches his cheek and blood seeps through his fingers. It should serve him a lesson. Mayura and the sentimonsters take care of the other heroes, giving him space and time to unify the miraculouses before the rabbit hero would intervene.  
He calls off his transformation and dismisses Nooroo without a thought. He was useless now; Hawkmoth would not be needed anymore. He pockets the brooch and takes his prize. He places the earrings to his ears and slips the ring on his finger. The two kwamis appear. The Ladybug one, Tikki as his kwami informed him, looked sad and defeated, though anger was visible in her small eyes. On the other hand, her counterpart, the Black Cat, Plagg, was visibly angry and screamed when he saw his old chosen on the ground below them.

  
"CATACLYSM!!"

  
Black energy emerged from his tiny paws and the man knew it would not be good if he were hit with the raw power coming directly from the Kwami. He calls his transformation, starting with the cat. The tiny creature spirals like a black blur into the ring. Green light covers his body and gives him a black costume. He felt more powerful than he felt as Hawkmoth, but it was of no importance at the moment. He also ignored his left hand who felt as if on fire or dying from the inside. The pain crawled up his arm rending it numb. He unified with the Ladybug one. Energy flowed through him and escaped his body in an aura of light around him. If this was absolute power, he would keep it. No one else was more worthy or more capable than him to wield such power. He deserved it. 

  
In the silence, a voice echoed around him. It sounded like two voices merging into one. It bears similarities to the cat kwami's.

  
"You unified destruction and creation. By doing so you are allowed one wish. Beware that the price to pay is high and…  
\- No matter. I want my wife back and my family to be happy again.  
\- Alright. Reality shall be rearranged as you wished. Beware that you will pay the price for your wish in ways you may not be expecting. You will forget your old reality soon." 

  
Everything faded to white and his mind went blank.

He was standing in his office. A tablet's screen flashes on his desk between stacks of papers and folders. It seems to be an older model, those from ten years ago. Did his wish send him to the past? It would allow him to make sure Adrien never diverted from his expectations and be the perfect face for his fashion empire and the worthy heir to his fortune. Heels clicked in the hallway each step echoing louder breaking the silence reigning in the manor. Nathalie knocked on his opened office door and enters when he nods his head. She holds some papers and her tablet in her hands and deposits them on the desk.

  
"Nathalie, where are Emilie and my son? I would like to see them as soon as possible.  
\- I do not know of their whereabouts, sir, and if I knew, I would not be allowed to tell you.  
\- Why would you not be? She is my wife and Adrien is my son.  
\- Sir, you lost Adrien's custody in the trial that followed the divorce. Do you need me to call a doctor?  
-No. That's nonsense! Where are the Miraculouses?   
\- The jewelry she found in Tibet? I believe your ex-wife took them with her when she left.  
\- They do not belong to her!  
\- Sir, I have not come here to be at the receiving end of your anger. Those files are my resignation papers and some of the documents you will need tomorrow when the company's suppliers will call.  
\- What? I always paid you handsomely, why leaving?  
\- Mr. Agreste, your company has been falling since the trial. Many of your partners no longer want to work with Gabriel. Your designs have been called lackluster by critics and many do not want to buy products of your brand. Designers left and the others will soon.  
\- Nonsense! Stop those games and bring me my wife and my son immediately!"

  
He goes to slam his fist to the desk, but it was impossible to curl his fingers or move them at all. What did that cursed Kwami do to him? His skin is black and rough as if it was burned deep, or cursed in his case. Why didn't he use plastic surgery? Science had progressed enough to heal burned skin. The woman leaves with a cold goodbye and closes the door behind her. What is that nonsense, he wished for his family to be happy, so where are they? He slams the door open and quickly walks down the stairs. Picking up his phone, he tries to call the bodyguard and driver of the family, but his number is nowhere in his contacts. Emilie is there. One last hope in this madness. It rings and leads him to voicemail. Who dares send Gabriel Agreste to voicemail? He tries again, with no luck.

  
"This his Emilie Graham de Vanily. Please contact my agent for business purposes or leave a message." 

  
He notices that many of the statues and paintings are absent from the main hall. Dust lay in some corners as if it was not cleaned regularly. Up and in the center, the portrait is partly covered by fabric, hiding half of it. It is a picture of him with probably Emilie and Adrien at his side. Why would he want to hide them? He opens the door of the mansion and steps outside. A bright sun shines up high in the sky and a warm spring breeze makes the tree leaves dance. He turns around to lock the door but realizes he doesn't have a key for the lock nor the car. It had been so many years since he last drove a car, it was so below him anyway. Commoners could do it for him. He decides to walk instead of calling one of those pesky disgusting taxis or drivers. Cameras would identify any potential thief. His steps bring him close to a park near a bakery, the Dupain-Cheng bakery where the girl that caused him so much trouble over the years lived. Screams and laughter echoing from the park. Children laughing and screaming annoyed him deeply, luckily, he had raised Adrien better than that. What parent allowed their child to be such a nuisance in public? Three small children are running around with what seems to be cardboard weapons, acting like they were fighting some imaginative monsters. Their parents seemingly sitting on a bench watching from afar. One of them caught his attention in an instant, a woman with bright blond hair, green eyes, and a slender frame. She is laughing at something the man next to her said.

  
_Emilie._

  
There she is. He quickly walks towards her, eyes focussing on hers and her warm smile. He gave up so much, sacrificed everything to see her back alive, to feel her warm hands in his, to hear her voice again.  
Something bumps into him. He lowered his eyes in a scowl. Who dares disturb him, who is so careless as to run straight into him? A small boy looks up to him, his green eyes quickly shifting from a small sorry expression to full-on fear. He takes two small steps backward but freezes in his tracks. His clothes are stained with dirt and grass, his hair a mop of messy blond hair, similar to his enemy who ended up being his son, Chat Noir. The boy has a scar across his cheek, _the same place he cut Adrien before his wish_. The small cowering boy drops his cardboard tube. If Emilie was there, that meant this boy had to be…

  
_Adrien._

  
Why is he dressed in those dirty clothes? Why is he playing in the park with those pesky children? Shouldn't he be at a photoshoot or having a lesson? He sneers at the child; some corrections have to be made.

  
"How dare you being so uncivilized, Adrien. You will come back home and think about what you did. I am severely disappointed in you. I expected more from you. Expect punishment for your misbehavior."

  
The boy flinches in fear and opens his mouth to say something but stays silent. His eyes fill with tears that slowly slide down his cheeks. Gabriel bends down to grab Adrien's wrist but is blocked by a round cardboard panel acting as a shield thrown at his face. It did not hurt much physically, but his composed demeanor threatens to crack under the anger. A small boy picks up the "shield" and stands in front of the scared child. A girl comes next to Adrien and takes his hand. She is clearly Marinette Dupain-Cheng and the boy has to be Nino Lahiffe. Their presence explains a lot of Adrien's misbehavior if he hangs out with the likes of those impudent children. The toys were similar to the weapons their hero forms used, taunting him, reminding him of his many failures at their hands. They slowly morphed into Ladybug, Carapace, and Chat Noir, but Gabriel blinks, dispelling the illusion. Mere children kept him from his goal for so long... No matter, he had won in the end.

  
"Leave my friend alone! You are mean and you made him cry, the Lahiffe boy shouted at him."

  
Gabriel opens his mouth to retort that he is Adrien's father and could do whatever he wants when a man comes running near them and crouches next to the boy. He is quickly followed by Emilie and a small Asian woman who must be the mother of the Dupain-Cheng girl.

  
"Nino! We don't throw things at people, say sorry… Oh, he says looking up to Gabriel, it's you…  
\- You shouldn't be here, says the small woman with gritted teeth, and certainly not menacing children like that.  
\- I came to see my wife and my son, it is my right!  
\- Sabine, could you take the children away please, asks Emilie, not looking at him."

  
The woman tries to guide them away, but Adrien latches onto the man's leg and hides behind it. He bends down, picks him up, and cradles him in his arms. The child buries his face into his chest and sobs loudly. The man whispers to his ears, though loud enough that Gabriel could hear, which was probably intended: "It's okay, mon petit soleil, Papa is here, you're going to be alright. No one will hurt you…" He slowly walks away with the other two children following him, leaving Gabriel with both women. How dare that man call himself Adrien's father? His blood is not in his veins. He did not raise him adequately. He was an excuse for a father and should be ashamed, so do those other parents who raised such disturbing children.

  
Emilie looks at him in the eyes, a feat few accomplished without being scared. Instead of the warmth and love they used to carry when she looked at him, they are filled with disgust and anger, throwing daggers at him. The small woman has a phone in her hand, ready to call someone.

  
" Why are you here? It was clearly stated in the charges that you were not allowed to interact with Adrien nor be in his proximity, asks harshly the Cheng woman.  
\- He is my son and you are my wife, it is my right to see you and talk to you. Now, you will stop this nonsense and come back home, he answers, completely ignoring the woman and looking at Emilie.  
\- Never. We divorced, Gabriel. We went through a trial for charges of child abuse against you. I fell in love with Étienne and he treats me wonderfully and he loves Adrien more than you ever did.  
\- If Adrien didn't behave, he had to be corrected! See how dirty he was, so careless he bumped into me. That is not behavior fit for an Agreste…  
\- He is not an Agreste, he is a Graham de Vanily. Children need to be raised and learn to behave, yes, but you shouldn't hit them in the face because they accidentally dropped grape juice on my wedding dress when they were three years old!  
\- Leave now, or I'll call the police. The charges against you could be even more severe and you no longer have the means to pay those pricy lawyers you had the first time, adds coldly the small woman."

Do they dare threaten him when he controls Paris? Something must have gone wrong with the wish… he looks his apparent ex-wife in the eyes and stands tall to intimidate her.

  
"Give me the miraculouses. The wish went wrong and I need to fix it.  
\- Seeing how you treated your own son? Never. I gave them away with the book to a man who said that he was looking for them. He's become a great friend and some kind of grand-father to Adrien and his friends. Go home and get help, you have clearly gone mad."

  
The guardian! Luck is on his side; he knows where his shop is… Well approximatively. It is getting hard to remember as if his mind was filled with a thick fog.

  
"I do not understand you, we were so happy before, we loved each other…  
\- That's the key, Gabriel, past tense. I stopped loving you when I saw what you did to my son. He has a loving father now in my husband and we are happier than we have ever been. Adrien made new friends and they have so much fun together. They help him heal. Goodbye.  
\- Emilie…  
\- If I ever see you or hear that you went to threaten Adrien again, I will not hesitate to call the police. Charges will be more severe on you and I'll see to it. Goodbye."

  
The women quickly regroup with her husband and the children near the bakery before entering to eat nightmarish food for a model's diet. So be it, he has to find the miraculouses and fix everything with another wish… How would jewelry grant wishes? Which one was it? He remembered vaguely two heroes, a red one and a black one, but nothing concrete. They were probably just characters made-up by Adrien in an instant of childishness. Emilie had betrayed him by taking his son from him and was ruining everything that could have made him perfect. That was a moment of weakness that he should not let repeat itself. His company needed him now more than ever and he'd have to work hard to rebuild his reputation. With no assistant, he will have to do some work himself, but no one ever gets that far without getting his hands dirty. Maybe the divorce and losing Emilie could allow him to spend more time on new designs. 

  
During the altercation in the park, Gabriel failed to notice the old man sitting on a nearby bench. He wears a Hawaiian shirt and keeps stroking his beard lost in his thoughts. He had been looking at the children, wondering what was waiting for them in the future, but seeing the madman who had been previously in possession of both missing miraculouses, he was relieved that Nooroo and Duusu were back safely in the box with the others. The future shines bright for the young Adrien and Marinette, and he is glad to have found such perfect candidates for the Ladybug and Chat Noir miraculouses. Maybe he could even train them to be guardians in anticipation of his retirement? Together, they would be able to face the whole world.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea while at work since Gabriel doesn't seem to simply want to bring back Emilie but to change the past instead, the price to be paid would be different. I explored this idea about what it would be and what would change in this new reality. I knew that Emilie would have divorced him and remaried, but it was a little harder to find a reason why he wouldn't share custody of Adrien with Emilie, ence why the mentions of child abuse. I know that it canon it's more along the lines of emotionnal and psychological stuff and that Emilie is probably evil too, but still.
> 
> The dead/cursed hand was inspired of Harry Potter. I hardly believe that Plagg would stand obediently next to Gabriel waiting for him to do his wish, even more so after all he did to his kitten. My idea was that when Plagg activated his Cataclysm but was sucked into the ring, the destructive energy was unleashed onto Gabriel's hand.


End file.
